Superior Court Judge James G. Blanchard Jr. is considering a request by an Augusta man, convicted in a 2008 home invasion that resulted in the death of a Grovetown man, for a new trial after a Monday hearing.

Known for their sweet reward, honeybees can often present a sticky problem.

Take, for instance, the recent honeybee infestation at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Augusta. A swarm of as many as 50,000 honey bees had made a hive near the church’s roof. It took master beekeeper Bill Owens the better part of a morning to remove them.

“He is just a cool guy and made it look so easy,” said Deborah Sasser, a local beekeeper and the owner of Sasserfrass Hill Bee Farm in Augusta. “He had a 40-foot ladder and had to extend it to full length to reach the hive.”

Lately, we have been blessed with plenty of rain. I haven’t seen a July in a long time where the grasses and plants have looked so good.

But with the rain there are pest problems. One of these insects is more common in centipede than other grasses. The most common description of this insect is that I have a swarm of insects that fly up when I am mowing my centipede. This insect is the two-lined spittlebug.

Residents expressed concern about, and support for, a transportation sales tax referendum during a Tuesday town hall meeting in Evans.

Leaders from the Georgia Department of Transportation, Columbia County and other municipalities led the second of two Transportation Investment Act meetings about the proposed 1 percent sales tax referendum, known as T-SPLOST, at the Evans Government Center auditorium.

A series of walk-in clinics for pupils needing school immunizations will open Monday in Columbia County.

The clinics will be held at the Columbia County Health Department at 1930 William Few Parkway, Grovetown, from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Aug. 7. The health department will be closed Tuesday.